
FALL GUYS
INSTEAD of the real drug smugglers, the previous administration was able to arrest and convict fall guys.
This was lamented by House Quad Committee over-all chairman Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers adding that innocent individuals have been imprisoned for up to 40 years while those truly responsible for the massive drug shipments continue to evade prosecution.
Barbers raised serious concerns over what he described as a gross miscarriage of justice in the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs, asserting that “fall guys” were convicted while the real masterminds behind billion-peso drug smuggling operations remain scot-free.
In his opening remarks during the committee’s 14th hearing, Barbers said: “Ang mga pagpuslit ng tone-toneladang droga na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit labindalawang bilyong piso (P12B), na ibinintang sa mga maliliit na tao ay isang kahina-hinalang hakbang upang pagtakpan ang mga tunay na may kinalaman.”
The committee is focusing on the bloody drug war and extrajudicial killings perpetrated during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to Barbers, several individuals who were allegedly used as scapegoats in high-profile drug cases, including businessman Mark Taguba, warehouse guard Fidel Anoche Dee and former Bureau of Customs employee Jimmy Guban, were convicted despite what Barbers believes are glaring gaps in evidence.
“Si Mark Taguba, isang batang negosyante, sumasalo lamang ng mga pinarating ng mga nag-angkat o importer ng mga bagay-bagay kasama na ang iligal na droga. Wala siyang alam sa laman ng containers,” Barbers noted.
Barbers further highlighted the controversial case of Fidel Anoche Dee, a warehouse guard who unknowingly received shipments of drugs in what was supposedly a “controlled delivery” by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The lawmakers reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to justice and accountability, stating, “If these people are necessary fall guys in order to cover up the truth, then we have committed a grave injustice which we are now compelled to rectify.”
The solon criticized the failure to charge higher-level officials and influential individuals who may have had a hand in facilitating the entry of illegal drugs.
Barbers also raised concerns over the promotion of officials involved in the handling of these cases, such as former prosecutor Aristotle Reyes, who was later appointed as an RTC judge despite his supposed role in pursuing the convictions of alleged fall guys.
“Hinahanap ng Quad Comm ang hustisya. Hinahanap namin ang tunay na may-ari ng droga,” Barbers stated.
Barbers underscored the urgency of amending existing laws to prevent similar injustices in the future, stating that legislative action is necessary to prevent further cases of wrongful convictions.